Map

Lhuntse

Lhuntse (the ancestral home of Bhutan’s royal family) is a remote district in north-eastern Bhutan which is culturally part of eastern Bhutan and only accessible by road from Mongar. On foot it can be reached from Tashi Yangtse with which it shares cultural heritage. It is one of the least developed districts and little visited by tourists......

Phuntsholing

Phuntsholing is a border town in the south-west corner of Bhutan. It is a long 7-hour drive to Paro or Thimphu with little of interest to see along the way, but it offers a possible route of entry or exit if visiting Darjeeling or Sikkim before or after Bhutan.

Samdrup Jongkhar

Samdrup Jongkhar is a border town in the south-east corner of Bhutan. Tourists can exit and enter Bhutan to and from India at this point. The town of Guwahati in Assam is around 3 hours' drive away and there are flights from Guwahati airport to Delhi, Calcutta, Bangkok and other Indian destinations.

Haa

Haa, a remote district near to Paro, is the second least populated district in Bhutan (after Gasa). It is a predominantly rural district and the main crops grown in the valley are wheat and barley, although some rice is also grown in the lower reaches of the valley. Potatoes, chillies, apples and other cash crops.....

Paro

At an altitude of about 2200m between the Haa and Thimphu valleys, the Paro valley derives its name from the classical ‘Padro’ meaning ‘beautiful’. It has some of the most fertile agricultural land in the country. Its famous red rice, apples, cereals, fresh vegetables and dairy products are substantial sources of income. The airport makes.....

Gangtey

The Phobjikha Valley, a glacier valley in the Black Mountain National Park, is considered one of the most important wildlife sanctuaries in Bhutan. Every year between early November and mid February black-necked cranes, one of the rarest birds in the world, gather here from all over the Tibetan plateau to escape the harsh winters. According.....

Bumthang

The Bumthang valley is often compared to Switzerland because of its beautiful landscape. Bumthang gets its name from the valley’s ‘vessel’ shape (Bumpa is a vessel which holds holy water and thang means a field or wide plain). Bumthang is actually comprised of four valleys: Chumey, Choekhor, Tang and Ura. The Chumey valley is wide.....

Tashi Yangtse

Tashi Yangtse is 53km (2 hours’ driving) from Tashigang and borders the Indian state of Arunchal Pradesh. The small town is concentrated around the large Chorten Kora, and is famous for its wooden cups and bowls made using water-driven and treadle lathes; it is also a centre for paper manufacture and much of the local.....

Tashigang

Located at 1070m Tashigang is 92 km and four hours’ drive east of Mongar. Once an important centre of trade with Tibet, Tashigang is in the heart of eastern Bhutan. It is one of the largest towns in the region and the second largest district in Bhutan. Tashigang Dzong, built in 1667 by Mingyur Tebpa,.....

Mongar

The Mongar district forms the northern part of the ancient region of Kheng and is reached after 193 km and five hours’ drive from Bumthang through stunning scenery including a crossing of the Thrumshing La pass (3750m). Some of Bhutan’s finest woven textiles can be found in its villages. There is little to see in.....

Trongsa

About four hours’ drive from Wangdi, after crossing the Black Mountain ranges via the Pele La Pass at 3420m, Trongsa district forms the hub of Bhutan and it was from here that the country was first unified. The route passes through Chendebji village, where mule caravans used to stop for the night on their journeys.....

Punakha

Punakha valley is about 76 km or two and a half hours’ drive from Thimphu via the Dochu La Pass (3050 m), which has spectacular panoramic views of the Himalayas and Gasa Dzong. The altitude of this region is around 1250 m and the climate is relatively warm, allowing two rice harvests a year as well.....

Wangdi

Wangdiphodrang (known colloquially as Wangdi), located at 1310m, is about half an hour’s drive from Punakha and is the easternmost district of western Bhutan. Wangdi Dzong was sadly very badly damaged in a fierce fire that broke out in 2012 and renovation will be ongoing for many years to come. The inhabitants of the old town.....

Thimphu

Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital city since 1962 and the only world capital with no traffic lights, is just over an hour’s drive from Paro. Located in a wooded valley, it is home to Government offices, foreign missions, development projects and businesses. Modern development has led to a well established infrastructure and good services, but Thimphu continues to.....